Non-conformance of existing pressure relief systems with recommended practices: a statistical analysis

摘要

This article presents a statistical analysis showing that the pressure relief systems on nearly half of the equipment in the oil,gas,and chemical industries lack adequate overpressure protection as defined by recognized and generally accepted good engineering practice.This analysis was based on data collected from a large number of goverment mandated (per OSHA 1910.119) pressure relief system design audits performed by an indepenent contractor.The vast majority of these deviations from good practice were not identified during conventional process hazard analyses (PHA) performed on these same facilities.Most of the units had also been designed by reputable design firms.